Burdened Souls
by kaoscraze
Summary: Carol has been banished from the prison, but she also knows something that no one else does. It's the secret she's been keeping from everyone, and it could tear them all apart. Forced to relive broken promises and lifelong regrets, she will have to make the most difficult decision of her life, or live with the knowledge that she is no better than the secret she's been keeping.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello people!**

**I know…you're all like 'Okay what is this? Why is she writing something else before she's finished the last one?' Yes I know, and I'm sorry. I WILL finish Melting Into You—I promise—but I had to get this out of my head before I exploded. **

**After seeing this past week's episode (you all know which one I'm talking about) I just felt all the emotions I had been experiencing from the first part of the season come flooding back into my head and there was just nowhere to put it. This story is pretty much what I had planned to do with Safe in the first place, but it just got too far off track for me to bring it around to this point. Now that I have a much better idea of what's happening and where they're all headed, it has really come back around again, so I'm giving it another shot. **

**I have to tell you…I honestly had conflictions about posting this on the internet for people to read. It's kinda dark…probably the darkest stuff I've ever written. It's also something that is a personal theory of my own but I truly have no idea if any of it will come into fruition, so for now this is strictly hearsay. There are going to be differences in this vs. what is happening on the show. I'm not saying that if this sort of thing really does occur on the show that it's going to happen just like how I'm writing it. I had to crunch a lot of very important things into a very small timeline to get to where I needed to be, so I'm sure there would be much more to it acted out on screen. It's also not going to be long. I'm releasing it in two parts just for timing purposes but that will be the end of it, so I can also get back to the other stuff I'm working on soon (cause I KNOW you guys are ready to kill me for leaving you hanging on the smut...once again I'm sorry for that but smut had to take a back seat for a couple of days;-)**

**Also…no matter **_**what**_** you think of this, I'd like to know. Reviews, PM's, emails…I don't care. Just tell me what you think. This has been something that I've thought about long, long time and I'd love to hear some thoughts and even discussions about it. I know I've got an amazing team of friends out there to support me and back me up, and I have to give HUGE thanks to my two buddies**** Allidon**** and ****Equuleus86**** for letting me use them as guinea pigs while I was working this all out. You ladies are amazing and I love ya more than puppies, kitties, and piggies combined! **

**Enjoy and Caryl on guys!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with The Walking Dead, and I have never seen any future previews on what is going to happen on the show.**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

Burdened Souls

Carol had arrived back at the prison just in time to know exactly what was going on, but too late to actually do anything about it. The fight was already over. The bodies lay strewn across the field and smoke filled the air around the now crumbling structure. The walkers were roaming freely over the desecrated space that had once been her home. She had not been witness to some of the more horrific events—this she now knew. Watching the people she love die would have probably crumbled her resolve, but it was something she couldn't focus on right now. She had to find the girls. They were the reason she was here in the first place.

Somehow, in the midst of the chaos, she had managed to spot them. It was a miracle that she'd even been able to hone in on them with the distracting gunshots and explosions filling the air around her. She had also seen who they were with, which also complicated things. They were with the one person in the camp that could possibly do the most harm to them if he ever found out their secret. Abandoning the idea of trying to go back in to search for others, she followed them through the woods, but somehow lost the visual before she could actually get to them. As she neared the train tracks by the clearing, she heard voices crying out for help. People nearby were in trouble. Before she could get there, however, she heard an all too familiar voice just ahead, but there was something off about it. It didn't sound right. For one thing, she couldn't hear anyone but the girls anymore. Had he really left them alone?

"She won't stop crying!" Mika was panicking from the sound of her voice. "Lizzie! You have to do something!"

Lizzie must have had Judith, but the baby's cries were muffled. Carol ran towards the sound of a gunshot and finally spotted them. They had two walkers coming towards them, with Mika pointing the gun even though she was scared stiff, and Lizzie with Judith. Carol couldn't see her clearly than Mika, but what worried her was what she could see. Her hand wrapped around baby Judith's mouth tightly. The look of determination on her face….she'd seen it before.

"Lizzie!"

Walking out to the clearing, Carol came up from behind the walkers, taking them down easily in a matter of seconds. She stabbed them through the head just like she'd taught the girls, pushing them out of the way just in time to feel Mika's small body wrap around her legs tightly. Apparently someone was glad to see her.

"Carol! You're here!"

Carol looked back up at Lizzie, who was now staring back at her with a mixture of surprise and anguish. Judith was still howling, but she stepped in and grabbed the child from Lizzie's arms, bouncing her up and down to try and calm her. She looked back towards the girls.

"Where's Tyreese?"

Mika pointed towards the tracks. "He went that way. He said someone might need his help."

She ushered the two along in front of her and they set off towards the tracks. By the time they got there, it was clear he had fought a losing battle. Only one of the people was still left alive, and he'd clearly been bitten. Holding back all the fear she had left, she called out to him.

"Tyreese."

He spun around, the look of relief on his face was more than she had been expecting. He came towards her, embracing her as she tried desperately not to flinch away. This was not the welcome she had been expecting. It was almost too much to process.

"How'd you find us? Where were you?"

Before she could answer his questions, she had another problem to figure out. The man standing before them…the last of his group to survive. He cried out and fell to his knees, his realization of his errors coming up to haunt him. She felt sorry for him.

"Stay on the tracks." He looked down at his friends. "It was my mistake."

Carol walked over to him. "But the woods have more cover."

"No…you don't understand." He looked up. "There's a place. Up the tracks. It's safe. You can take the children there."

A safe place? This close to the prison? Carol almost couldn't believe it. She looked back at him, his eyes filled with tears. He was obviously being sincere. Turning back towards the others, she ushered them on, leaving the man behind to settle his debts with god on his own.

They walked along, Carol trying her best to fill in the story with pieces of the truth. Somehow, through it all, Tyreese hadn't learned about the incident from Rick. It did, however, sound like Daryl knew. They were just about to go and talk to him when the Governor showed up and ruined it all. She learned about Herschel, which was a painful but sobering remark. She learned that they had managed to save most of the others from the flu outbreak, but that they hadn't spotted the bus with most of the sick people yet. Sasha had fled with Maggie and Bob, which probably meant she was okay. They didn't seem to have any other information to give in that time, but one thing stood out above everything else-Lizzie had saved Tyreese's life.

"I thought I was a goner." The large man said as they walked along the tracks. "I was gunned down with nowhere to go, but then out of nowhere I see these two come along…" He gestured to the girls. "They stood and fought for me. Lizzie took them down with one bullet each. She's an amazing shot."

Carol looked to Lizzie, who was grinning smugly. She didn't need to ask why.

"Did you teach them that?" Tyreese asked, looking back at Carol. "They told me you'd been helping them train with knives. Are you the one who taught them how to use guns?"

Carol haltered in her steps; her face beginning to betray her. She couldn't do this now. Not with the children and not out in the open where they weren't safe. "I taught them some maneuvers for safekeeping. I taught them first and foremost to run."

Tyreese watched her carefully, his face continuing to stay calm. "Well…whatever you did, I guess I owe you all my life."

The words stunned Carol to a dead stop. He didn't owe her anything, but she couldn't exactly tell him that either. The whole situation was getting out of hand quickly as she felt her emotions once again beginning to unravel. Tyreese looked up, but he wasn't looking directly at her. There was something off in the distance that had attracted his attention.

"There…he was right."

Carol turned around and saw what he was talking about. There was a sign just up ahead on a post by the tracks. As they approached and read what it said, Carol couldn't help but feel wary of the situation. She should have been thrilled...relieved...something other than what she was feeling. Maybe it was just too soon to expect that things could go back to being the way they had been before. Perhaps she was worried that they might run into another situation with people who didn't have their best interests at heart. No matter what it was, she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of dread. Something didn't feel right.

"Just let me and Carol do the talking." Tyreese said, looking down at the girls. "Hopefully we'll be inside soon."

"Maybe some of the others found this place too." Mika replied back. "They might even be inside already."

Lizzie looked up, her face full of hope. "We'll be safe here...won't we Carol?"

In truth, she had no idea what they might find inside, but everyone else seemed to think it was worth the risk. Carol knew that Judith wouldn't survive long out in the woods and at the moment there weren't many options left. She reached down and took the girl's hand; her body still feeling the effects of the anxiousness. She attempted to smile, but it felt forced.

"I hope so Lizzie. I really hope so."

WDWDWDWDWDWDWD

Daryl had had enough of everything.

Beth had tried to kick his ass into gear and make him see reason, but he wasn't having any of it. The realization that he'd just lost everything he'd ever cared about was weighing too heavily on his head and he couldn't be bothered to fix any of it. It was like none of it had ever existed. Despite her attempts to get him to do something, it all just seemed pointless. They'd all lost a lot but Daryl knew he'd lost more than anyone. He hadn't just lost his home or his friends. He'd lost what defined him. The things that had made him the person he wanted to be.

Hell…he'd lost hope altogether.

They wandered around aimlessly; his attempts to track were half-assed at best. They hadn't come across anyone else from the group, although he saw plenty of tracks scattered around, he figured most of them had to be walkers. Beth was still convinced that Maggie and the others were out there, but even if they were, the chances of finding them alive were bad. In a way, he just didn't wanna know. It was better if he could still think about them being out there somewhere rather than stumbling across their dead carcasses further down the road.

They'd found some smashed grapes along the trail and she'd been convinced that the others were nearby. She even started picking at the bushes, saying that they just had to keep the faith. Truth be told, he'd known that he was being unreasonable, but what had come out of his mouth had been uncalled for. Even despite it, he still couldn't bring himself to apologize for it either. Instead, he tried making a peace offering by handing her his handkerchief, hoping it might be able to say what his mouth wouldn't let him.

As they continued on, they came across something out of a horror story down by the tracks. Everyone was so mangled that it was too hard to tell who they were, but the sight had been enough to cause Beth to break down; her body wracked with sobs as she stood over the carnage. Once again, he had failed her, standing there with no emotions left to give. Deciding she just needed to get it out of her system, he stood by silently, trying to figure out their next move. When he looked down, he noticed some tracks leading up the opposite direction from the way he'd planned to go. There were four sets of tracks…two adult and two kids by the look of it. They still seemed fairly fresh too.

"Beth…" He said loudly, trying to distract her from her grief. "Look…there's tracks leadin' this way. Looks like maybe soma the kids are with them. We should go if we're gonna find 'em."

The shock of his words seemed to snap Beth out of her fog and she nodded, pulling his handkerchief back out to wipe her tears and following behind him. They walked together silently up the tracks, both hoping against hope that they would come across something that might give them a reason to go on. About a mile up the road, Daryl spotted it. There was a post not a few yards away with a sign. Beth saw it too and immediately started running so Daryl picked up the pace as well. When they got there, he couldn't believe his eyes. It was the same phrase that he'd heard on the radio station when he and the others had gone on the run for medical supplies. They'd finally found it.

_Terminus…Sanctuary for all—community for all. Those who arrive, survive._

Daryl smiled for the first time in what felt like too long. This was it. He could feel it. Something good was gonna come outta all of this.

"Come on."

He ushered Beth through the arches, both of them running like their lives depended on it. When they got to the entrance of the gate, he could see people guarding the walls similar to what he'd seen at Woodbury, and he just hoped that whoever was in charge wasn't a fucking crazy psycho like the last one had been. There were a bunch of people lined up for what looked like some kind of inspection. Maybe it was newcomers who hadn't checked in with anyone else yet. Daryl searched through the crowd, and to his amazement he spotted someone he knew. Two someone's to be exact. Beth gasped when she saw them too. It was Tyreese, and he was holding Judith. If they'd made it this far, it only stood to reason that the others would too.

"Daryl…Beth…thank god." Tyreese said, walking over as soon as he spotted them. "Is there anyone else with you?"

"No, but we saw some tracks and figured it was someone from our group." He looked around, confused. "Saw a set of four…two of 'em was kids…s'it just you and Asskicker?"

"No, Mika's over playing with some of the other kids." He handed Judith over to Beth, who looked more than happy to see her. "Lizzie and Carol were with us too, but they left again. They should be back soon I'm hoping."

"Carol?" Daryl heard the words leaving his mouth before his brain could register them. "She was here?"

He nodded. "We ran into her on the road. She said she'd just gotten back when she found out what was happening and came to look for us. She took Lizzie and left as soon as we found this place. Said she had to get something she'd forgotten…supplies I think."

Daryl didn't understand. "Supplies? What supplies?"

"Not sure what she found, but apparently she had a car full of stuff she'd gotten on her trip." Tyreese replied. "I offered to go along with her but she said she wanted to take Lizzie. She thought it would be best if I stayed here with Judith."

"She say where it was parked?"

"No, but to be honest, I was kind of surprised." He admitted. "One minute Carol was telling me we couldn't go back because there was nothing left…then she seemed to change her mind. She seemed conflicted about something. Lizzie had been acting weird too." He leaned in a little closer so no one else could hear them. "She doesn't seem all…right in the head…you know what I mean? She was doing a lot of weird stuff. I think Carol really just wanted to take her and have a talk about it, but she didn't want to do it around other people."

Daryl stared at the man. His mind was reeling and there was a churning in his gut. He'd always suspected that there was something off about Lizzie, but now Tyreese had pretty much confirmed it. The kid was trouble…and if that was the case, then Carol was in more trouble than she could ever imagine if she was out there alone with her. Suddenly it all made sense. He knew exactly what was happening, and he knew it had nothing to do with supplies.

"Beth, you're stayin' here." He unstrapped his crossbow and turned back on his heels, his head already on the task. "I gotta go find 'em."

"I'm sure they're fine Daryl." Beth reassured him unsuccessfully. "We just got here."

"I can't wait around to explain, but I gotta go." He said; his body already on the move. "I'll be back. Keep everyone safe!"

They stared in bewilderment as he made his way back out of the sanctuary and down the road, following the tracks that led away and out into the woods. He had to get to them quickly if he stood a chance. It all made sense now. He knew what had happened at the prison. He knew what Carol was going out there to do.

He just hoped he could stop her in time.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys,**

**I ended up writing a little more than I expected to, so instead of two parts, you will be getting three. I'm almost done with the third section now and it should be out tomorrow just in time for the new episode. It seemed like the reception I got from part 1 was definitely positive and I'm very glad for it. Even if none of this ever happens on the show, I feel like part of me will always wish that I'd gotten to see it acted out just for the sake of being able to see how these two amazing actors would handle this type of situation. Either way, I'm hoping you all at least enjoy reading it.**

**I will be getting back to Melting Into You very soon as well, but I can't make any promises on when the next chapter will be out. Unfortunately, I had some devastating news given to me yesterday and my thoughts are much more tuned into this type of a dark story right now than anything smut related so I apologize for that, but hopefully soon things will get back on track. When I do I will also have an amazing visual to go along with it as well, courtesy of a good friend of mine, so I can't wait for you all to see it! LLACO!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

It was ignorant to think that any of this was going to end well. Carol knew it the minute she got to the sanctuary. In a way, she hadn't truly believed that they'd find a place to go on the tracks, thinking maybe the man was just becoming delusional in his pain. To her complete shock, he'd been right, but now she had an even bigger problem to face than before. There was a community inside these walls with people just like their own. Even if they had a filtering system for who came in and who didn't, it was almost guaranteed that they would be allowed refuge for the simple notion of what they had with them. These people would never understand the impending danger they would soon be face to face with. Carol couldn't continue turning a blind eye to it all…it wasn't just going to magically go away the minute they walked in those gates. It hadn't worked then, and it wasn't going to work now. Before she could even think of stepping foot in a new place, she needed to deal with the demons lurking at her footsteps first.

Attempting to trace her steps wasn't easy when her mind was so cluttered with thoughts. She tried to remember the steps Daryl had taught her, but knew she wasn't doing a very accurate job. Lizzie walked along beside her, seemingly unfazed and unquestioning of it all. In truth, she was probably romanticizing the entire reason they were out here, not even aware of the fact that it was supposed to be a suicide mission. They continued walking along; Carol doing her best to keep the pace up for the sake of wanting to just find somewhere get it over with. She had no idea where she was really heading anymore, and she doubted anyone would come looking anyway. If they did, they'd never be able to follow their aimless direction. She had wanted it this way. No one else should have to feel the weight of this decision.

When Ryan came Carol weeks ago asking for some assistance with guiding Lizzie, she'd had no idea at the time just exactly what he'd been asking. He'd told her that she'd always had difficulties, even in school, with maintaining a sense of reality. If he had been completely truthful with her about the extent of her troubles, they probably never would have made it along this far. Carol had struggled with the burden for weeks, trying to decide the right way to go about handling the predicament, but in the end she'd chosen the wrong methods. Figuring that Lizzie just needed a better understanding of the world around her, she had tried to teach her the hard cold facts about the reality she was living in, and how dangerous it could be. She'd tried to make her realize that she needed to protect those she loved, not hurt them. She'd tried to make her see that there was no fantasy about it…but somehow the girl continued to daydream and carve out her own path of denial.

The day she discovered the bodies had been one of the most sobering days of her life. Lizzie had come to her in confidence, claiming to have wiped out the problem of the sickness all on her own; a smug smile plastered on her youthful face. Carol knew she still wasn't grasping the concept of how her actions affected others, but she'd been so wrapped up in her own fears of wondering if more of her friends might come down with the mystery illness that it had clouded her ability to see just how far gone this child really was. By the time she figured it out, it was far too late.

_Walking into the cell, the smell hit her first. It was a smell she knew all too well…one she had grown quite accustomed to in the last few months. The smell of death. Her stomach churned violently, taking in the grizzly scene in front of her. Lizzie hadn't only killed Karen and David…she had mutilated them. Anyone who walked in would know that they hadn't been put down for the sake of their ailments. This was murder first and foremost in her mind. An act of violence for the sake of violence. What she couldn't understand was what had possessed this young woman to do something so senseless and cruel in the first place. _

"_Lizzie…why did you do this?"_

"_I saved us." She replied, her face unchanged. "I saved you. They're not a threat anymore." _

_Carol crouched down to her eye level, trying to make her understand. "They were never a threat to begin with. They were sick."_

"_They were a threat." She said it plainly, as if stating something commonplace. "They killed Nick and he never hurt anyone. They were a threat to all the walkers and now they got what they deserved."_

_The horror of her statement had stunned Carol into silence, and in that moment, she had panicked. There was no way to hide something like this, and she knew that if anyone saw it there would be a full out investigation and they would kill the person found to be guilty. Without any rational thought left in her body, Carol did what she had to do. Ushering Lizzie to go get one of the gas cans from the yard, she threw a sheet over the bodies before attempting to drag them out of bed. The amount of blood that had begun to pool around their heads and chests was much more apparent as she started dragging them out by their legs; the sheets picking up a large portion of it and leaving large trails straight down the hallway as she went along. Unfortunately, there was no time to worry about it right now._

_By the time she got both bodies outside and unwrapped from the sheets, Carol was exhausted. She got rid of the evidence as quickly as she could, and pretty shortly after Lizzie came running back with the gas can.. Carol threw the contents of the can on both of the bodies, trying to douse any parts that she knew would remain in question if they were spotted. She pulled out a trusty zippo lighter that she'd found on a recent run and leaned down, igniting the fire. The bodies quickly became engulfed in the flames, nearly overpowering both of them in the process. Carol grabbed Lizzie's arm and pulled her off to a safe corner of the courtyard, once again kneeling down to her level._

"_Listen to me closely." She was trying to remain calm. "You never saw this. You were never here. You don't know anything about how Karen and David died. Do you understand me?"_

_Lizzie looked confused, her trophy now ruined at the hands of the one person she had trusted enough to show it to. "But I…I thought you wanted me to do this."_

"_Lizzie…what you have done is unforgiveable, and the only reason I'm only helping you because I know what will happen if I don't." She looked her square in the eye. "If you _ever_ do anything else like this, I can't save you. Do. You. Understand."_

"_Yes…I understand."_

_Carol stood and turned them both around. She knew they needed to get out now. "We can't be seen. If they find either one of us here…we're both dead where we stand."_

In her naïve way, Carol had let herself believe the worst was over. Tyreese's reaction to the situation had set her on edge, but she knew there was still no hard evidence tying either one of them to the crime. It wasn't until Lizzie got sick that Carol realized just how far gone her faith in humanity truly was. In that moment of putting the girl in quarantine, she had actually felt a sense of relief in thinking that maybe nature would take care of the one thing she couldn't bring herself to do. Unfortunately, what should have ended there only got worse.

In hindsight, she knew that she had basically tipped Rick off about the whole thing. He had seen her erratic behavior and put two and two together just like she thought he would. By the time he finally brought it up, Carol had convinced herself that she was damned regardless of the truth. It seemed pointless to continue to lie about it now. It wasn't until she realized the extent of his disgust that she began to see exactly what he had been doing. He had never intended to let her come back with him once they'd gone out on the road. That one moment had changed everything and now she was on the outside looking in. How could she turn back to him and say that on top of everything else, she had once again put his family in danger by leaving the true threat back at the prison? Even if she could say it convincingly, he'd never believe her. Their friendship had been permanently damaged.

Carol had gone along with his plan and tried not to give him more cause him to doubt her any further. She had waited and figured out a plan to get back to the prison without anyone else seeing her, and would have succeeded in the process if it weren't for the disturbing scene she had come back to. Now aware that Lizzie's sickness was not as serious as she had thought, and after witnessing the incident with Judith in the woods, Carol knew exactly what she had to do. Whether or not heaven and hell existed, Carol knew she was never going to see any pearly gates after this. There would be no coming back from it. She was about to commit the most evil of all the sins.

**Thou shall not kill. **

This wasn't a walker. This was a living, breathing human child. The only thing keeping her from turning back was the fact that she was convinced that unlike other children, this one no longer had a soul. In her heart was a darkness; something that had taken over and couldn't be overcome with love and nurturing. If they lived in a different world, there may have been hope for her eventual recovery. Now…out here where the rules were kill or be killed…there was no room for error. Carol now realized that Shane had been right in his own way. He'd taken out the threats to his family for the simple act of survival. It was cold and cruel, but it was effective.

"Where are we going Carol?" Lizzie asked innocently, her face not even reflecting her concern. "I thought you said we needed to get to your car to get supplies. We're just going further into the woods."

"I know honey." She said; her voice coming out gruffer than expected. "We're going to do something else first. We'll be there soon."

"I'm glad you asked me to come out with you." She replied happily. "I like it when we spend time together alone. No one else understands me like you do."

Carol had to force her feet to keep moving; her heart and her mind conflicted once again. She couldn't put it off much longer. At this point, she was pretty sure even she couldn't make her way back if she tried. She wasn't sure if she even wanted to attempt to go back. What else would be left for her? No one would want her there after this. She looked up to the clearing above the trees, seeing a small patch of sky peeking in. God was watching her every move…she knew it. She was being judged even now.

"Yes…I do you understand you Lizzie. More than you know."

WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD

Daryl was getting more and more frantic, trying to keep up the pace to get to them before it was too late. He still had a trail to follow, but from what he could tell they were still pretty far ahead of him, having gotten a good head start. He hadn't run into many walkers either, but it wasn't that surprising. Most of them were still probably up at the prison feasting on the carcasses of his friends in the rubble he used to consider home.

He understood what had happened now…it was all beginning to make sense again. Carol had been covering all along. He'd first suspected it when he and Rick made their way down to the tombs to find Tyreese and inform him of what she'd done. When they found the rabbit pinned to the board with its fur missing and its chest flayed open like a fucking science project, he'd started to figure it out. He'd seen Lizzie messing around with some of the rodents before and she'd told him that she was interested in learning how to skin them. He'd told her he'd teach her the proper way to do it but she said she wanted to try on her own. He'd thought it was off at the time but had never bothered to say anything neither. When Ryan had died and Carol had taken the girls in, he'd really thought that it would get better for them. It seemed like the all-around perfect scenario. Carol had lost her daughter, but now she had two new ones to care for and guide. It wasn't perfect, but he thought it could give them a new purpose in life. Now, he realized just how wrong he'd been.

He didn't know how she'd done it or why, but Daryl was convinced that Lizzie was behind the killings. Carol had probably helped her cover them up, knowing that if anyone ever found out the kid would be killed on the spot, but he wished she'd at least had enough sense to confide in him too. Having to carry a burden like that on her own must've been eating her up inside. No wonder she'd acted out in front of Rick. She had to know that it wasn't her fault…the kid was damaged goods before she'd even had a chance to find out. He had to get to her before she did something she could never forgive herself for, and he was running out of time.

The sky was peeking through the trees with a pinkish hue, telling him that it would be dark soon. This was gonna get ten times harder to do if he had to track them in the dark. The prints kept going out further in the woods, but there was no general rhyme or reason to any of it. It was almost like she was zig-zagging around to throw him off. Maybe she'd known someone might try to follow her and would eventually give up if they were too worried about getting back. The only one who could get this far along with it was him, and she knew it. Even if she didn't know that he would try to find her, she was prepared just in case. He'd taught her well.

_Come on woman. Give me a break here. You gotta let me help you._

His feet pushed him forward under the duress of his body, which was heavy with exhaustion and grief. He hadn't felt this heavy since the day he'd found Merle out by the silo turned into the thing he hated most. On that day, he'd sworn he'd never go through something like this again, but here he was once again. It was becoming too much to bear.

_You don't give up. You keep going. She needs you._

He knew the truth now. She was the only damn one he even remotely cared about anymore. He wasn't gonna let her go down this path alone…he needed to find them now.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello again!****  
**

**So here we have the finale of this tale, and I have already anticipated some flack for this one but I'm ready for it. I'll warn you now…some of you are going to love this and some of you are going to want to garrote me when it's all said and done. This is already anticipated and I welcome you all to throw comments my way. I'm ready for them!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with The Walking Dead**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

Carol finally stopped, her feet too tired to carry her any further. They had made it to the river's edge and it wove its way through the forest and down into the tiny brook that had fed the water supply for the prison. It was a beautiful place…and perfect for what she had to do.

"Let's stop here and take a rest." She said, sitting on the edge of a large stone pillar. "I'm sure you're tired too."

"I'm okay." Lizzie shrugged, but she sat down anyway. "Are we near the prison again?"

"We're a bit further down, but not too far." She looked over. "Why?"

"I remember coming this way when we were with dad." Lizzie remarked, looking around. "I always thought it was so pretty here, but he said we couldn't stay because it was too dangerous."

"He was probably right." Carol frowned; sadness filling her heart. "Have I ever told you about my daughter?"

"Not really. I just know that you had a one, but that she died."

Carol nodded. "Her name was Sophia. She was just a little bit older than you the last time I saw her. She would have been fourteen this year. "

Lizzie looked back at her, intrigued. "What happened to her?"

She sighed. "A walker chased her into the woods just off of I 85 and we lost her. Around the same time, Carl accidentally got shot and we all ended up at Herschel's farm. It was there that we found Sophia again. She had been bitten and she came back as a walker."

"What did you do to her?"

"We did what we always do when there's a threat. We took care of it."

"You killed her?"

"I didn't personally kill her." Carol looked out over the river; her eyes misting at the memory of that day. "I tried to run to her but Daryl held me back. Everyone else stood there…they were too scared to do what had to be done. Eventually Rick stepped up and took care of it before she could harm anybody."

Lizzie looked down at the ground in front of her. "Why do you say that…that he did what had to be done?"

Carol wiped her eyes and looked back over at her. "Because he did…it was what we had to do to move on and survive. We didn't have fences to keep them out like at the prison. It wasn't really Sophia anymore. It was a monster and it would have hurt someone if we hadn't done something."

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do." She could feel her emotions closing off. "Lizzie…walkers aren't people anymore. They aren't going to just magically come back to life and be the people you loved again. That's not how it works."

Lizzie's face hardened, her anger beginning to seep through. "Why does everyone keep saying that? How do you know they can't come back? Do you have any proof?"

"I do, but that's not the point." Carol got up, walking towards the edge of the trees. "I don't need scientific facts because I know in my heart that—that thing that came out of the barn—that wasn't my daughter. My Sophia was gone. She was safe…finally."

"But that 'thing' was still something." Lizzie pushed. "Even if it wasn't your daughter anymore, it was still a living creature."

"So are sharks, but you don't keep them as pets." Carol snapped, turning back to her. "You really don't understand at all do you? This isn't some type of joke. What you did…what I _helped_ you do…it was beyond wrong. You never should have been in there. You can't treat two living, breathing humans like a goddamn carving station and then turn around and tell me that something that hurts us should be allowed to stay alive!"

"I only did it because I wanted to help!" The girl rose to her feet. "I wanted to prove to you that I was strong and I could do what needed to be done."

"Lizzie…they were still alive. I never told you to kill the living. _Ever_."

"No." She stared back, her face resolved. "You just told me that I was _weak_."

Carol's eyes flew open, her resolve crumbling. Dear God…is this truly what it had come down to? In a moment of anguish…of utter frustration at the situation she was in, she had turned an innocent child into a heartless tyrant. One word had set off a series of events that had led to her not only losing a home, but her family as well. They had been there for her in some of the most difficult times of her life, and now they all thought she was a killer. Sadly, they were right. They just didn't know it hadn't actually happened yet.

"I'm sorry Lizzie." She reached down into the band of her pants, pulling out her gun. "I can't take you back to that camp. I can't have you around the others. You're not weak, but you are dangerous."

Lizzie's face fell, her anger moving aside to make way for fear. "But…I only did what I thought you wanted me to!"

"Did I tell you to smother Judith too?"

She looked up, her eyes filled with confusion. "I didn't want to hurt her."

"But you almost did." She walked closer, her finger resting on the trigger. "She's just a baby. She can't communicate the way we do. If you had hurt her and I wasn't there, I don't know what Tyreese would have done to you."

"But I didn't!" Lizzie yelled, her eyes filling with tears. "I didn't hurt her!"

"Because I stopped you this time!" Carol could quickly feel herself losing control. "I can't do this again with you. I can't give you the help that you need. No one can."

Lizzie's body crumbled to the ground in front of her; the child wracked with sobs as tears streamed down her face. Carol knew that this time the cries were real, and their effect on her senses was making it harder and harder to pull the trigger. She needed to get a grip and take control of the situation.

"Lizzie…get up."

"Please…" Lizzie cried harder. "Please don't do this…you love me, I know you do…"

"I can't love a killer Lizzie."

"But you can't kill me! Think about Sophia!"

"DON'T SAY HER NAME!" Carol could feel the tears rolling down her face as she screamed. "You need to stand up now!"

"Please don't….please…."

She steadied herself, putting both hands on the gun to keep it from shaking. She had to do it and it needed to be now. She tried to steady herself enough to get her target in sight, but just as she'd finally gotten up the guts to pull the trigger, she heard a twig snap, followed by a voice…it was a voice she honestly never thought she'd hear again.

"Carol…stop."

No. It wasn't real. It had to be a figment of her imagination. It wasn't until Lizzie looked up at the sound that she realized she wasn't the only one who had heard it. It was really him. Daryl was standing ten feet away at the edge of the clearing. His crossbow was strapped to his back and he had his hand up like he was there to surrender. He crept up closer, making sure to take his time not to startle anyone. Carol stared at him momentarily, her brain trying to take in the situation. She had seen this set up before on crime dramas. He was the hostage negotiator, and she was the serial killer.

"Daryl…" She breathed, her heart breaking at knowing what he was about to witness. "This isn't what it looks like."

"I know exactly what it is." He said; his eyes never leaving hers. "I get it…but I need you to put the gun down."

"I know what you must be thinking about me right now." She wept, her willpower crumbling at the notion of it. "How much you must hate me for this."

He shook his head. "I don't hate you. I just need you to think about what you're about to do."

"I have to do it. I can't leave this up to anybody else. It's all my fault and I need to fix it."

He walked forward again, now half the distance away. "You can't do this on your own. Takin' on this kinda burden. It'll kill ya."

"I'm already dead." She realized as the words came out. "When the others find out, they'll kill me too."

"Not if ya don't do it."

"They already think I did!" She cried, her heart breaking at the realization of the mess she'd made. "Why not let them keep thinking it?"

"Because you didn't." He said, stepping a little closer. "You ain't a killer."

"Turn away." She ignored him, her eyes back on Lizzie. "You shouldn't have to see this."

His voice was solid. "I ain't goin' nowhere…I know you don't wanna do this."

"Then what _do_ I do?" Carol was nearly beyond help. "I can't let her go back. She tried to hurt Judith. She killed two grown people!"

"I know. I believe you."

She could tell by his voice that he wasn't lying. He really believed her. She wasn't going crazy after all. In that moment, somehow despite everything, he'd given her hope again. As she turned back towards him, she realized he was right behind her; his features exactly the same as she had remembered. He had come for her after all…the one person in the world who still knew who she was at her core.

"What do I do?" She whispered, her eyes never leaving his.

He didn't even hesitate. "You give me the gun. You walk away."

"I can't."

"Yes you can."

Before she'd even made the decision to hand the gun over, he was reaching to take it from her. She let it fall out of her hands and along with it came the weight of everything she'd tried so hard to bury over the last few weeks. Carol felt like she might crumble to the ground in that very moment, but for the first time in a long time she felt safe again. It wasn't until she saw Daryl's head move to the side and his eyes go wide that she knew something was wrong.

"NO!"

Carol barely had time to register what was happening, but in that instant the gun fell out of Daryl's hands and hit the ground. His arm wrapped around her waist as he tried to pull her behind him, shielding her from whatever was happening. Carol saw the flash of something metallic but was blocked by Daryl's body as he lunged for Lizzie, who had come up from behind her. He managed to tackle her to the ground but there was a struggle and she saw blood trickle out onto the dirt below them. In a moment of panic, Carol lunged for the gun again, her hands barely reaching it just before Lizzie's. She pulled it away from the child's hands, tripping over a rock and falling backwards. She heard the gun fire a shot and her head hit something hard as she tumbled back down to the ground.

Everything went dark.

**A/N: Okay…everybody take a deep breath…and blow it out.**

**For those of you waiting for me to pop up and be like 'Hahaha just kidding! That's totally not the ending'…sadly you're going to be disappointed. This is it. Now you're asking me why right? Well it's pretty simple…on top of being a cruel, cruel human being (hehe) I also feel that in this case, all the answers shouldn't just be served up on a little silver platter with a pretty little doily spelling out who did what. I guess you could consider this story sort of a test of faith. I'm not honestly sure that I even know what happened, but if I've learned anything from this show in the past few seasons, it's that not everything gets an explanation. Sometimes, we don't even get closure and it's just something we have to deal with. These characters all have decisions to make, and those decisions depict who they are and who they will become. Some go wrong and some don't. **

**So as, I've said, I am fully expecting a mix of good and bad reviews, and I welcome you to write me and let me know what you thought was going to happen and why. Now before you start giving me the whole 'well obviously Lizzie died but Carol and Daryl are unharmed' theory, think a little deeper than that. Consider all the scenarios that could have come out of this and really think about which one would fit the situation. Use your imaginations…think about it like you're a detective going over a crime scene. Don't think about what you wanted to happen, but what the most likely outcome was. I am hoping to get some really interesting theories here…in fact, I'll do you one better. If I get a particular theory that I really like or enough of the same type of theory from different people, I might just write another part to this depicting that scene. So put on your thinking caps folks…let's see if we can do a better job at telling a story than the writers on the show. **

**Let's make the cast proud…I know we can do it! **


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